Chapter 6

The Destruction of Jewish Yurburg

Translated by Irene Emodi, Tel Aviv

The Sun Shines, the System (?) Blossoms and the
Slaughter Slaughters.

Chaim Nachum Bialik

The Book of Tears

The words come straight from the heart
They were written in great pain
Each word
Is drenched in blood
The blood of man
The blood of a people.
A book of tears
To be remembered for generations to come.
A tear - for the bereaved parents
A tear - for the sister and brothers that were orphaned

A tear - for the old grandfather and grandmother
A tear for a sacred community.
A tear - for the murder of a little baby
Who fell victim to the evil of the devil's sons
A small heart that was torn
And whispers its last breath.

Death outside
A vessel full of tears.
Voices cried to heaven - "Help us!"
Lips murmured prayers - "Save us!"
But no one heard, no one listened
No one removes the decree;
No one raises an eyebrow,
No one stretches out a hand. . .
The heavens are closed
They do not hear the cries of those who remain
The world is blacker than black
Not a ray of light is to be seen.
There is much killing
Not a family is spared
The whole town is a Holocaust
The community of Yurburg is destroyed.

*

The sun went down
A cat howled -
Nothing is left
Only bereavement.
And at night -
In the darkness of night, only a memorial candle will shed its
light
On the martyrs of the town.

By Zevulun Poran

[Page 374]

The Holocaust in World War II

The Struggle and Destruction of the Yurburg Community

By Z. Poran

Translated by Irene Emodi, Tel Aviv

The word Holocaust, which means destruction, liquidation,
annihilation refers to the destruction of the Jews of Europe in
World War II (1939-1945). The Jewish people numbered 16 million
when the War broke out and over 6 million of them were killed
by the Nazis and their collaborators. Jewish communities in
Europe were destroyed in twenty one countries that were
conquered by the Nazis.

Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany in 1933, he was a
brutal, blood-thirsty man who hated Jews. In 1939 Hitler
started war with the aim of conquering the countries of Europe.
The war went on for about six years, and it drowned the world
in a sea of blood. Almost all the countries of Europe were
conquered by the Nazi army. Millions of people were killed.
Many towns were ruined. Millions were uprooted from their
homes. However, the greatest tragedy of all befell the Jews.
The Nazis decided to destroy the Jewish people. Every Jew was
destined to be killed.

On 20 January 1942 Hitler convened the heads of the Nazi
regime in the Berlin quarter Wannessee am Grossen in order to
discuss the subject of the final solution of the Jewish
question. At this "historical" conference the head of the
security police and S.D., Ober Gruppenfuhrer Heidrich,
submitted a detailed plan to liquidate 11 million Jews in
Europe. For 90 minutes the participants discussed in cold blood
the preferred method of murder, the organization, transport
problems etc. The plan was approved in all its details in order
to be executed in stages. Indeed, the major part of the plan
was carried out.

The following is a list of the countries in which the
destruction of the Jews was carried out in Europe (in %):

Now, let's describe the route of suffering the Jews of
Europe passed during the course of the War:

The Jews of Germany were the first to be destroyed, then
came the Jews of Poland, the largest Jewish settlement in
Europe, which numbered 3.5 million Jews prior to World War II.
To facilitate the destruction the Nazis gathered together all
the Jews in the large cities into ghettoes of Warsaw, Lodz,
Bialistock, Riga, Vilna and Kovna and Shavli ( a relatively
small ghetto) etc.

At the ghettoes the Jews were employed in forced labor, such
as: industrial enterprises, paving of roads, building of
bridges etc. The conditions of living and nourishment were
poor.

In addition to torture at the ghetto, the Nazis set up
the death camps at Auschwitz, Maidanek, Birkenwald,
Treblinka, Halmano, Belsen etc. At these camps gas chambers
were installed and furnaces that accelerated the destruction
process of millions.

Immediately after the Nazi occupation of the Baltic states
-- Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Soviet Russia as well, the
Nazis and their local collaborators carried out brutal
killings. Entire communities were destroyed.

In Lithuania the majority of the Jews were already killed in
the first days of the Nazi invasion (1941). The Jews of the
little villages in Lithuania were the first to be killed. The
Jews of Yurburg shared the fate of those in the other villages
of Lithuania. Only in the large cities ghettoes were set up,
where the Jews were kept, like in Vilna (60.000), Kovna
(20-30,000) and Shavli, a relatively small ghetto, about 3000
people. The destruction at the ghettoes was in stages. Those
who were not fit were executed -- from Vilna they were sent to
Ponar and from Kovna to Port 9 and 7 near Kovna and there they
died. Those who remained were employed in forced labor until
they were liquidated. Near the end of the War the Nazis took
those Jews who were still able to work to Germany, where they
were employed in forced labor. Many of them were saved when the
Germans were defeated in the War, among them were some
survivors from Yurburg who were at the Kovna ghetto.

In Yurburg all the Jews were destroyed, as mentioned above,
in the first months of the Nazi invasion. In these months
(June- September) Yurburg was a kind of ghetto, where noone
could enter or leave. Here too everything happened in stages.
Groups of Jews were taken to the woods, one after the other, on
the way to Samalnikan, at the cemetery and other places where
the elderly, women and children were brutally murdered. In
Yurburg it was impossible to set up a resistance movement. The
foreign surroundings alienated the Jews. And the Lithuanian
"friends" -- if there were any -- were afraid to help.

However, in spite of everything, a few -- oh so few --
managed to organize into a group of Partisans and they went to
the woods around Yurburg. They were joined by people from the
Kovna ghetto and together they numbered 70. (See the article
"People from Yurburg in the Forest" in the Book of
Remembrance). Some of those from Yurburg in the forest were
extremely brave and courageous; one of them even turned out to
be a leader and daring warrior. This group carried out a number
of daring actions, fighting as Partisans against German
military units. The group of "people from Yurburg" in the
forest became known as a brave group which intimidated the
Lithuanian villages in the area. The villages had to supply to
the Yurburg Partisans everything they required and even shelter
women and children in their homes. Unfortunately, at the end of
the War the "Yurburg" group was defeated. However, with their
daring fighting, they survived for a long time and saved Jewish
honor. Some youngsters from Yurburg at the Kovna ghetto joined
the Kovna Partisans in the woods (see the article"Daring escape
of the Partisans in the forest" ).

A few of the youngsters, who were outside Yurburg when the
War broke out, enlisted in the Lithuanian division, in the
framework of the Red Army in Russia. The majority of the
Lithuanian division were in fact Jewish youngsters. The
youngsters from Yurburg played their part in the War as best
they could and had the good fortune to return with the division
to Lithuania and liberate it. In Jewish Yurburg the Jews did
not live to see the day of liberation. They were no longer
there. Only dust and ashes remained of the Jews of Yurburg . .

The Holocaust Remembrance Law Yad Vashem

"A memorial authority is hereby established -- YAD VASHEM
-- to commemorate the six million Jews who were murdered by the
Nazis and their collaborators; the families of the House of
Jacob who were killed and destroyed by the oppressor, the
communities, synagogues, movements and organizations, military,
cultural, educational, religious and charity institutions that
were destroyed by evil action, to protest and cry out to heaven
on behalf of the People of Israel and its culture, the courage
of sacred Jews who gave their life for their people; the
courage of Jewish soldiers in the armies and underground
fighters in settlements and forests, who found their death in
the battles against the Nazi oppressor; the courageous deeds of
the survivors of the ghettoes and their fighters; who rose up
and started the revolt to save their people's honor; the
glorious and persistent fight when countless Jewish homes were
about to be lost with their humane outlook and Jewish culture;
the daring efforts of the Christians, that never ceased, and
the devotion and heroism of brothers who strived to save those
who survived and liberated them, and the righteous gentiles,
who gave their lives to save Jews."

[Pages 377 - 387]

Yurburg Destroyed

The Story of Hannah Magidovitz as recorded by Zebulun Poran

Translated by Irene Emodi, Tel Aviv

We are sitting in the home of Hannah Magidovitz, in the
center of Rehovot. The apartment is spacious, furnished with
taste and spotlessly clean. Around the table are also her
husband, Shlomo Goldman, Manager of the town's Post Office
branch and her two charming daughters - one a teacher at the
Ashkelon state school, the other - a nurse at the "Kaplan"
hospital. The family extends a warm welcome to the guests.
There is a festive atmosphere in the house. It is not everyday
that two such welcome guests appear. . . one has come from Tel
Aviv and the other from Jerusalem - both are true Yurburgers -
Shimon Shimonov and Zebulun Poran.

There are refreshments on the table and a pleasant
conversation is taking place in a friendly and warm atmosphere
of old friends. However, the clock does not stop ticking, and
we hint at the purpose of our visit, the hosts are fully aware
of it. It is getting late and everyone understands time has
come to bring back the memories of those terrible days, in
which the tragic history of Jewish Yurburg ends.

The husband and daughters leave the room, and we, the three
Yurburgers, remain alone with our sorrow about the bitter fate
of our Yurburg.

A moment of silence passes, and another one of heavy
thoughts . . . Hannah's face is getting pale and red in turn.
There are tears in her eyes and she finds it hard to swallow.

.... To speak about Yurburg, the tragedy ... it is
impossible. Impossible! Those who were not there will not
believe what I am saying . . .

Hannah is struggling with herself, overcomes her reluctance
and starts to tell her story. Words in Hebrew and Yiddish, a
medley of tongues, sounding like lamentation, sad.

The wailing of Hannah, the Jewish mother, daughter of the
town of Yurburg, who calls to heaven: "Why, Oh God, why?" She
speaks out against the cruel and indifferent world which
brought destruction on Yurburg. For a moment we remember Hannah
as a young girl, full of joy, and it is hard to imagine that
this is the same Hannah, speaking in anger, avenging the women
and children, young and old. An entire Jewish community was
wiped out and is no longer - and only she, Hannah, the only
witness, remains in order to tell the terrible story.

*

. . . It started one summer morning. The dawn disperses the
misty watches of the night, a slight breeze, drops of dew, the
pleasant odors of field and garden are in the air. The birds
twitter, singing happily towards the start of a new day. Yes, a
new day, 22 June 1941. Yurburg is slumbering at this hour,
sleeping as usual. Everything is restful and pleasant -until
suddenly a terrible sound rips the silence -

"Jews, war, w-a-r. . . "

The sound ripped through the house, startled the whole
family and made them get up from their beds. When we went
outside we already saw many others; windows were opened nearby
and far away, Jews looked out in surprise and awe - "What is
going on?" Here and there those standing outside noticed
airplanes raging through the sky, approaching Yurburg with a
terrible noise, dropping bombs and destroying the surroundings
of the town. Luckily most bombs fell into the Neiman and did
not damage houses or people.

We spent hours waiting anxiously, tensely whispering "Hoi,
what will happen?" Thus, without knowing what would happen to
them, the helpless Jews stood around in small groups,
whispering, their faces full of gloom.

Eight o'clock in the morning. The first rows of motor
vehicles appeared in the streets and behind them the German
"Wehrmacht" and behind the "Wehrmacht" rows of marching
soldiers, facing West, on the road to Kovna. The Jews shivered
and watched in terror how the German army took over the town,
without any resistance from the Lithuanian army units which
formed part of the Russian army.

After the "commandos" passed, the "Wehrmacht" infantry
spread out onto all the roads, took over the government
institutions and started to look for Russian and communist
soldiers. Tumult broke out in town. Lithuanians and Jews, who
were connected with the government institutions started to
hide, and those who could flee-fled. Only a few managed to
escape on the first steamship which left in the morning along
the Neiman to Kovna. There was a situation of uncertainty in
town. Jewish families started to gather together in order to
ease the fear. Children cried and wailed and it is hard to
describe what went on among the Jewish population on the
morning of that cursed day. Many burst out and vented their
feelings of frustration. When one of the neighbors shouted:
"Jews - let's protect ourselves - let's hide in the public
bath" they all got up and without a thought ran to the public
bath, a large, strong building.

It seemed to many that its strong and thick walls would
protect those inside. Fear is the Devil's Advocate. They
thought that together they might be able to protect themselves.
The public bath was full to the brim, a multitude of people
pressed into this dubious shelter. And as the popular saying
goes - a drowning man grasps at a straw, when he wants to save
himself. Food was brought to the public bath for the little
children and later also for the grownups, to strengthen their
bodies and souls, enabling them to face the enemy when the time
would come. These were difficult hours for those who had
deliberately imprisoned themselves in this gray and depressing
building on this first day, there are no words to describe
their gloomy spirit

At 4 p.m. the German soldiers discovered the hiding place.
Four soldiers broke open the door and one of them entered and
shouted the order: " Come out immediately!" - in order to
convince the people not to huddle there, he added: "it is more
dangerous here, if the air force sees a large building standing
out in the area - it may decide to bomb it!" However, no one
agreed to leave the building, a discussion started with the
soldiers, women and men implored and begged to be allowed to
stay, but the soldiers had no mercy. At this stage the
"Wehrmacht" soldiers did not yet show their true face. They
started to calm the desperate Jews and assured them nothing bad
would happen to them. The soldiers also told the agitated crowd
that the Russians had attacked their country and that they had
no choice but to defend Germany, their fatherland. One German
soldier even boasted: " Never mind, in two weeks we will be in
Moscow." He said this in an arrogant, self-assured manner as if
this was wonderful news to the Jews as well.. . . However,
there was one soldier who stood aside and secretly whispered to
the Jew standing next to him - "Yes, in two weeks we will be in
Moscow, and in two years the Russians will be in Berlin. . ."
This was apparently an unusual German soldier . . . in fact,
they all received orders and carried them out ruthlessly.

We must admit that the German soldiers, who were very
aggressive, were courteous in their first meeting with the
Jews, and even tried from time to time to calm the frustrated
crowd. Having no choice, the Jews started to leave the public
bath. Sad and perplexed they returned, stumbling, to the homes
they had abandoned. The unfortunate Jews had no inkling yet of
the German policy of misleading.

The Jews of Yurburg passed the first night in great fear. No
one removed his clothes or took off his shoes. No eye was
closed. They had no appetite, were depressed and confused by so
much fear of what lay ahead.

The next day, Monday, no one left his home. Jewish Yurburg
was paralyzed. Business came to a complete standstill. There
was no hunger yet. Jews sold part of their belongings to
Lithuanians and bought food. All the neighbors and relatives
gathered together in one house, it was very crowded, but the
situation was still bearable. Jews said "Soll nur nischt sein
erger" (things should not be worse). Nevertheless, we felt that
the Lithuanians, the former Shaulists (now they called
themselves partisans or activists), started to make themselves
available to the Germans, enthusiastically assisting them,
taking over the street. The attitude of these Shaulists towards
the Jews was hostile and brutal. Their influence on the other
Lithuanians grew by the day. Already on the second day the
Lithuanians carried out severe beatings. The new rulers ordered
all the Jewish boys, without exception, to assemble on Raisen
street (Rasaino Gatva) on Mordechai (Mottel) Labayosh' plot, a
place later known as "Arbeits-Lager" (i.e. labor camp). From
here Jews were sent for service in town such as : cleaning the
streets, working in vegetable gardens and any assistance
required by the Lithuanians. A Jew was appointed manager of the
"Arbeits-Lager" and he was asked to carry out the authorities'
orders.

Everyday another bad thing happened to us. The Lithuanians
started to show their rudeness and tyranny. On the third day of
the War an order was published that the Jews had to wear a
yellow patch on their clothes. Where to find yellow cloth? Here
we got the idea to use the cloth of the Lithuanian flag, one of
whose colors is of course yellow. We therefore tore up the
Lithuanian flag, without any pangs of conscience, and sewed the
patches for our clothes. Thus "adorned" with the yellow patches
we were ordered to march along the pavement of the street.
These and others were the orders we received every morning. The
more the Lithuanians' atrocities increased, the more depressed
we became, yet we tried to stand firm, as far as we could.

One day the Jews were ordered to destroy the synagogue,
break up its walls and everything inside, and distribute it all
to the Lithuanians. It is impossible to describe how this order
affected the town's Jews. The synagogue was the pride of the
Yurburg Jews. It was not only a house of prayer, but a valuable
cultural attribute of art. It was said that its construction
was completed in the seventeenth century by the best Jewish
artists of the time. The sacred ark was made of wood, carved by
hand, with beautiful engravings of animals, plants, leafs,
turtles, lions and birds. Then there was the beautiful chair of
Eliyahu, used for brit-mila. The old building was gray, but
full of splendor and inspiration. The synagogue was "a little
temple" not only for the Jews of Yurburg, but also for all the
Jews of Lithuania, who came from far to see the Temple.

The building was famous beyond the borders of Lithuania as
well. Then here comes the oppressor and orders: "get up and
destroy the synagogue", the "Holy of Holies" of Yurburg's Jews!
But the order was given and the Jews had to implement it and
those who did not observe it were beaten and forced to carry it
out. The knees failed and the hands were shaking, but who could
oppose these beasts? With tears in their eyes and broken hearts
the Jews had to carry out this shameful job. Many Lithuanians
came to watch the terrible deed, but only a few dared to take
the loot.

Not far from the synagogue stood the "shechita stiebel", a
small building, used for poultry slaughtering. This building
too had to be destroyed. There were many feathers there, which
were dispersed over the area; these feathers stuck to the Jews
and they were so dirty it was hard to recognize them.
Thereforethe Shaulists -Lithuanians who were overseeing the
crime, ordered them to go down to the Neiman river and wash in
its water. During the destruction and also at the river the
Shaulists tortured them, kicked them and pushed them into the
water. . . an offensive and degrading sight.

The German soldiers stood next to the Lithuanians all the
time and took pictures of the "action" carried out faithfully
by their Lithuanian helpers. The Germans, for whom and at whose
behest the Lithuanians gladly carried out these actions,
cynically asked the Jews "why do the Lithuanians hate the Jews
so much?"

Another thing which degraded and angered the Jews took place
the next day. One of the religious ministrants in town was
Cantor Alperowitz. An old man, tall and distinguished looking.
On religious holidays he would appear with his chorus at the
synagogue or the great seminar and pray and sing the melodies
he himself composed. He was a learned man, very popular and
venerated by the worshippers. The sons of the devil turned to
him as well. They took him to the center of town, many
Lithuanians thronging about; they attached a brick to his white
beard and ordered him to march through the streets of the town.
The Jews were called upon to watch the painful sight; some Jews
pleaded for mercy and volunteered to take the old cantor's
place on the shameful march, but they were refused. Thus the
cantor had to go on his shameful walk, accompanied by the
enemies' shouts of joy and the wailing of the Jews of Yurburg
who were forced to watch this terrible ceremony, the likes of
which had not been created by the devil yet.. .

Time passed, and there was no end to the malicious acts. One
day the Jews were assembled and ordered to carry Stalin's
statue in a parade through the streets of the town, to sing and
dance, while the Lithuanians, the German soldiers at their
side, marched along and tormented them, beat them and kicked
them from one side to the other. Finally the parade reached
Zarda, a broad square near the Neiman river. A high heap was
made of Jewish books and writings and Stalin's statue was set
in the middle. When the paper burned the Lithuanian's joy knew
no end and they tortured the Jews. Children, women and men were
ordered to sing and dance.

The Jews were forced to sing until the flame went out; they
sang psalms and the well-known folk song "Arom der feir mir
singen lieder. . . (around the fire we sing songs), a Jewish
revolt song, in front of their oppressors.

*

The acts of the Germans and the Lithuanians undermined our
morale and we slowly became ever more indifferent to our fate.
Nevertheless, when disaster struck our home and hit our family-
says Hannah Magidovitz - we completely broke down. One day the
Lithuanians, at the orders of their German masters, came to the
Jewish homes looking for workers, they said. They took my
father and younger brother somewhere. In this action 350 Jews
were taken away. They were all ordered to bring along a shovel
for digging. Thus our dear ones left on a silent road from
which they never returned. A long, dreadful night fell over our
home and over many homes in town, from where the men were taken
forcefully, never to return . . . only the next day did we
learn of the terrible disaster. A Lithuanian, a farmer, was
witness to the horror. After they were led into the forest they
were at first ordered to dig pits, according to the witness, as
deep as possible, and then to kill each other with the shovels
in their hands.

Thus the earth swallowed them forever, without a sign or a
mark on the large common grave. One day short letters were
received from the "enlisted men" sent, as it were, to work. In
their letters they wrote us that they were working on the
floating of tree barges (traftim) and that there was no cause
for concern.. . After the horrors we had gone through, we had
no illusions that our beloved ones were still alive.

A few days later another calamity took place. One evening
another count took place, this time under the pretense of
concern for the sick and elderly. They promised to take the
sick and weak to hospital where they would receive proper
treatment. Another deception which no one believed. We knew
they were led to their death; women cried and pleaded for
mercy, but there was no mercy.

Thus the sick and elderly were led on the road to Raseinai
at a distance of 18 kilometers. from Yurburg. The Lithuanians
did not bother the sick and elderly with digging pits. The
graves were already waiting to receive the dead. From this
"action" no one returned either and no one was left alive.
Again, according to the testimony of Lithuanian villagers, they
were all brutally killed. Most of them were buried alive. The
next day, when we were called to the "Arbeits -Lager" ("labor
camp"), we found remnants of clothes and jewelry, removed from
the dead.

Hundreds of Jewish men were led to the cemetery where they
were brutally killed. 520 people, among them the leaders of the
community, including Rabbi Rubinstein, revolted, shouted, shook
their fists and fought to the bitter end. There were no
illusions left. We knew our days were counted. Only women and
children remained in the Jewish homes. However, the cruel fate
did not spare them either. German planning and deception were
constantly active. One day the women were called to
headquarters, while the children had to remain at home. When we
heard this, says Hannah, we hid mother on the attic, and we
presented ourselves in her place. The women were told to stand
together in the yard of "Talmud Torah", the large elementary
school of the town. Hundreds of women were brutally taken to
the headquarters, babies crying in their arms. We remained at
CTalmud Torah" from morning to night, says Hannah, without any
food or drink. The Lithuanians behaved like cruel animals.

Towards evening Shaulists-Lithuanians arrived with automatic
weapons and ordered us to line up, two in a row; they kicked
and beat us to make us hurry. The wailing of the mothers and
the cries of the babies went up to heaven, but the hearts of
the murderers remained cold as stone. The Germans, masters of
the land, stood at a distance with their cameras, as usual,
watching their Lithuanian servants-helpers' actions with much
interest and satisfaction.

There was much confusion, as the crowd of
Shaulists-Lithuanians surrounded the poor women, hitting them
brutally with the buds of their rifles. They particularly hit
those who walked too slowly, children and they threw them onto
the ground, to induce them to carry on. Late at night we
reached the end of the road. We were in the thick Schwentshani
forest, frightened to death by the shadows of the trees. In the
darkness we saw a deep pit, dug that day. Tumult broke out, and
a terrible panic took hold of the women. The murderers fired
into the air and shouted in frightening voices "Throw the
children into the pits", they ordered the women to take off
their clothes and leave them behind. It is hard to bring back
to memory those awful moments at the place of murder. Mothers
jumped with their children into the pits, some of them were
shot, others still breathed. At those crucial moments in a
person's life -as strange as this may seem - the life instinct
is extremely strong. My entire being started to throb with the
instinct to live and a voice from deep down in my soul cried
out :"Live, live!" says Hannah Magidovitz.

Among the Lithuanians I met near here was a young man, a
shopkeeper from the Kalyani village, and he whispered to me -
"Escape Hannah, escape!" The plan to escape had already come
into my mind along the way. I told myself - I must return to
save mother and my little sisters, who still remained hidden at
home. Therefore I quickly took the decision to escape at all
costs! - and thus at a certain moment, when confusion took over
and the women started to cry and flee to the forest, and the
Shaulists -Lithuanians ran after them and fired at them,
bewildered and without thinking what I was doing, as if a
spirit of madness had taken hold of me, I jumped behind a bush,
a jump and another one and here I am behind a tree, and another
tree and a third one, my legs carrying me in a mad race,
further and further away into the darkness of the thick forest
towards an unknown place. Shots? -they no longer frighten me:
the quest for life throbs in me, hope, revenge! Thus I finally
fell down on the cold earth, exhausted. The Lithuanians did not
manage to harm me. They were drunk from alcohol as well as from
victory. The lust to murder and the smell of blood prodded them
to carry out these bestial acts.

When I recovered and my energy returned, I started to walk
towards Yurburg, but I lost my way, and almost ran into a
German (patrol) guard who called to me from afar "Wer ist
hier?" (who is there?). I went back from where I had come and
at dawn I arrived at my home in Yurburg. At first I said
nothing to my mother and sisters Zelda and Judith, who were
still alive. Yet I was bothered by the idea - "I must tell"
Those who remained had to know what the Lithuanians, the
helpers of the Nazi Germans, had done to us-and then I told
them the bitter truth and I said -"we must escape immediately,
find a place with the Lithuanians, otherwise we will be
destroyed. Don't be deceived!"

We tried to look for a hiding place with Lithuanian
gentiles, but we soon found out that all the gentiles had
betrayed us. They regretted the murder and were afraid for
their own lives. Perhaps they were afraid of denunciation. That
is how we were stuck between hammer and anvil, all we could do
was to pray for mercy.

Only three days passed and the sword hit us again. In the
morning all those who were left, without exception, had to
gather in the notorious yard of Mordecai (Mottel) Labayosh,
where the "Arbeits-Lager" (labor camp) was.

All day long Lithuanian soldiers, accompanied by the
Germans, passed through all the Jewish homes to check whether
anyone was left there. Indeed, no one was left. The few who
were still alive knew their fate - death! However, a day of
brutality and torture still lay ahead of us - intimidations,
blows and humiliations. Towards evening we were ordered to
leave the "labor camp" and go on a journey - the last journey
of the last survivors of Yurburg.

When the last one left, Yurburg remained empty of its Jews,
who had lived there for hundreds of years, built and cultivated
it, borne children and raised generations faithful to their
nation and the land of Lithuania, reliable partners for
obtaining its independence. Now - the end had come! There is no
Jewish Yurburg any longer! But no, there are still some
survivors, and they are marching on their tragic march of
death, straight towards the Shwentshani forest, to the deep
pits, opening their mouths to swallow up the murder victims.
This time the survivors knew very well where the road was
leading. No, they did not accept the judgment: they revolted,
shouted, pleaded with the murderers - "what did we do wrong" -
why kill human beings born in the image of God , but in
response there were only impudent answers and severe beatings.
Mothers told their older children to run away, not to
surrender, to beat the murderers, save their lives. But what
power do weak women and small children have in the face of the
sophisticated Nazi machine ? In a terrible battle of unequal
forces they arrived at the end of the journey. Everything was
prepared in advance, the murderers well trained, and the
victims offered for slaughtering are pathetic and have no
energy, they are pure and just in their soft existence and
desperate struggle. No, this time they do not give up easily.
Women attack the murderers, bite, hit, shout. But the murderers
close in on their victims. Shots are fired, the automatic
rifles do not stop, shooting from every corner at anyone trying
to escape, and they are many. The murderers run after them . .
. there is panic and chaos and a struggle for life and death
accompanied by shouts that tear apart the walls of the earth. .
. .

I, the young girl, already experienced in this fateful test,
am standing among the girls of my family, my mother crying
bitterly, my little sisters holding on to me with all their
might. I feel the throb of life in them and at the same time a
shot is fired, mother is shocked - she throws me her scarf
(patshele) - and shouts "Run away my daughter - Hannale,
flee! remember - Revenge mein Tochter (my daughter), revenge!"
- -

And I, I don't know how I dared throw myself into the
turmoil this time, into the thick bushes. I jump behind the
Germans and Lithuanians and flee, flee, while the murderers are
running after me, steadily firing at me, but the bullets don't
hit me. The murderers hit trees and bushes, and I manage to
escape from their murderous hands. I have no energy left in me,
but I continue to crawl and go away as far as possible from the
valley of death. I did not look back, I knew that behind me was
death, destruction . . . and I have to go on living. My mother
had placed an important task on my shoulders. To avenge my
family and the Jews of Yurburg . . . This time - I knew - I was
not going to Yurburg, there was no longer any Yurburg for me.
When the last group of Yurburg Jews died - my Yurburg died too.

At that time I did not know whether I was the only one who
had been saved or if other women too had managed to stay alive.
I went into the direction of the town of Arzovilki, where I had
Jewish acquaintances. I hoped to find a few survivors there. I
walked through fields and forests, slept awhile under the open
sky, was hungry, and towards morning I arrived, exhausted, on
the second day of my wandering, at the entrance of Arzovilki. I
was very thirsty. I went up to a farmer and asked for water,
but he chased me away. I drank water from a puddle I found, and
continued to knock on farmers' doors. Finally, one farm woman
agreed to let me stay in the cowshed, near the pigsty, although
she knew I was Jewish. She told me that only yesterday an
"action" had taken place of the Arzovilki Jews, and that they
had all been brutally murdered, and buried in a mass grave,
close to the town.

I met but a few "good" Lithuanians, but even the most humane
among them were not inclined to take in a Jew. Finally I found
shelter for a while in the home of an intelligent man,
broadminded. He told me that two Jewish boys, who had been
saved from the "actions," were hiding in the town and that they
came from Yurburg.

With the assistance of my landlord a meeting took place with
them and to my joy I knew them well, they were: Zvi (Hirshka
Abramovitz) and Klein (I forgot his first name). They looked
sad and thin. They smoked a lot and told me they had managed to
escape, after their families were murdered. Now they intended
to return to Yurburg, not in order to live there, but to set it
on fire. They talked of their plan with burning eyes. I said
good-by to them and did not see them again. Later I was told
that Yurburg was set on fire and burnt. I don't know if the two
really managed to take revenge on the murderers of the Yurburg
Jews, but it is true that a large part of the town center
burned and went up in flames. Revenge? - maybe, but even if
they did take revenge, it is small compared to the terrible,
horrendous crime perpetrated against the Jews of Yurburg by
beasts. This awful shame, the mean and planned murder to
destroy the Jewish communities will not be wiped from our
memories, it will cry out forever, and as long as we are alive
we will not forget or forgive!

*

After a long wandering, dangers lurking everywhere, I
reached the Kovna Ghetto, in order to tell the Jews there the
bitter truth about the destruction of the Jews of Yurburg. In
those days the Jews in the Kovna Ghetto did not yet know what
lay ahead of them. Jews still had false hopes, inside the
ghetto, and I felt sorry to disappoint them and disperse their
illusions.

*

When the survivors of Yurburg left the graves of their
families and relatives behind, they embarked on a difficult
journey to Eretz Israel, it was their yearning and the yearning
of the martyrs of Lithuania who did not have the good fortune
to arrive hither.

Among the immigrants, the survivors of Yurburg, was also
Hannah Magidovitz.

The few survivors of the holocaust, will continue to spin
the thread of continuation forever, here in the independent
State of Israel, they, their sons and the sons of their sons
after them, as revenge on the murderous gentiles, and for the
establishment of a secure shelter for the people of Israel in
centuries to come.

Signed Zebulun Poran

[Pages 388 - 394]

Additional Details About the Annhilation of the
Jews of Yurburg

The Testimony of Hannah Magidovitz

Translated into Hebrew from Yiddish by Paz

Translated by Irene Emodi, Tel Aviv

At the end of World War II, when Hannah Magidovitz was in
Germany, she was asked to testify in person about the
destruction of the Jewish community of Yurburg. Her
testimony was written down by L. Koniochovsky, at the
municipal hospital of Munich, the MUNCHEN KRANKENHAUS, in
Germany, on 30 April 1947, and signed by Hannah Magidovitz
and Dr. Paiskovitsh, the Chief Physician (Chef Artz) of the
hospital.

(The testimony is kept at the "Yad Vashem"
archives in Jerusalem)

On June 22, 1941, German soldiers were already marching
through the streets of Yurburg at 6 o'clock in the morning,.
Only very few people managed to escape and save their lifes.
Hannah, her father Shalom and her three sisters hid in the
farmer Greenberg's cellar, behind the Jewish cemetery. The
German soldiers burst into the cellar and checked whether there
were any Russian soldiers there. They sent the Jews back to
their home in Yurburg. The German army units continued for a
number of days to march on to the town of Kovno and pursued the
retreating Russian army from there.

Jews belonging to the communist party, among them Hannah's
brother Hashel, went to Russia.

The moment the Russian army entered, the Lithuanians
gathered their courage and organized into active gangs - active
Shaulists - put a green ribbon on their arms and became the
town's rulers. The commander (Kommandant) of the town belonged
to the German army and the student Mikas was the Chief of
Police - his assistant was a policeman from the period of
presidency of Samtona -Kilikovitshus. Shukatis was the leader
of the Lithuanian gangs. A German, a citizen of the town, was
appointed mayor. During the time of the communists he was the
manager of the public kitchen and he supported the communists.
His surname was Gefner. Hannah still remembers a few active
Lithuanian gang members, among them: two brothers, from the
Gymnasia, Waksaliai, the kiosk owner Tzalkis and the
nationalist Mimi Samtona - Blatvinskis and others.

One of the murderers' first evil "actions" was to gather
many Jews next to the synagogue - take a purification board,
put the barber (Peruk-macher) Yitzhak Kopilovitz and Bibles on
the board - and take them to the Neiman river. Here the Jews
were ordered to "drown" the barber Kopilovitz and also drown
each other. The barber saved himself by swimming. The Germans
ordered Hannah's younger brother, the 13-year old Wolpeke, to
drown the manly Jew Tatka Levinson. Levinson too saved himself,
and Wolvele returned home, started to cry and told his family
the terrible story.

One day the Jews were ordered to destroy the old synagogue
and house of learning. They removed the Torah scrolls from the
house of worship, the hooligans unrolled them and danced on
them. The Jews were also ordered to bring their prayer shawls,
prayer books and mezuzot from their homes, putting them all
into one big pile. The Jews of Yurburg were very upset by this
demeaning and cruel act and even the non-believers among them
cried bitterly. The Lithuanian mob shouted "Bravo" and was full
of joy and merriment. The next day the Jews were ordered to
destroy the old synagogue and the coachmen were ordered to
gather the boards and panels and bring them to the yards of the
Lithuanians. Only the bare walls remained of the house of
worship which was built of stone. The Jews were forced to
transfer all the holy books to Zarda (an empty lot near the
Neiman river) and put them in one big pile. The women were
ordered to clean the destroyed places of prayer on the Sabbath.
The hooligans put Mrs. Barzanar on a wheelbarrow (a Tatschka)
and a 12-year old boy was ordered to take her to the Neiman
river. On the way Mrs. Barzanar saw a German officer. She
jumped from the wheelbarrow, ran to the officer and begged him
to shoot her. The officer replied he could not do so, as the
Lithuanians now were the rulers. The hooligans continued to
torture her and hit her. Everybody was ordered to enter the
Neiman and "bathe" with their clothes on, Hannah Magidovitz was
among them. The men were ordered to "bathe" fully clothed every
day after work.

Each day, at 6 o'clock in the morning, men and women were
ordered to present themselves at Labayosh's yard, in order to
go to work. The women were under the command of the Jew
Friedman, the former owner of the "Versailles" hotel. He was
close to the Lithuanians, for he had belonged to the
"Shaulists" In the end, he too was led to his death in the last
"action", just like the others. He was tortured and it is said
he was even hung from a tree.. .

On July 10, the men were ordered to bring digging tools
(shovels, spades etc.) and go to work. The order was
particularly tough this time.The Lithuanian overseers carried
rifles and there were a few Germans among them as well. It was
a secret "action".

In the evening, when the women returned from work, they did
not find their husbands. Hannah, too returned from work, and
did not find her father -Shalom - or her brother Wolvele. The
next day it was rumored the men had been shot at the cemetery.

The woman Deborah Lem went to the cemetery to find signs of
graves, but found nothing, the large grave was well hidden . .
. most women could not imagine that their husbands had been
shot, although the Lithuanians living next to the cemetery
knew, and told the story about the sadistic acts that had taken
place there.

It was said, for example, that the men were ordered to dig
the graves and kill each other with the spades they held.
Fathers were ordered to kill their sons and sons their fathers
... a truly terrible sight . . . 550 Jews were shot. Among the
dead were the physicians Dr. Karlinsky, Dr. Gershovitz (from
Ponivez), Dr. Reichman, the pharmacist Bargovsky, the dentist
Dr. Simonov and the dentist Dr. Koplov, the lawyer Segal, the
cantor Alperovitz, the ritual slaughterer Aharon (Arteshik)
Shlomovitsch, Rabbi Rubinstein, businessman Labayosh, Shalom
Magidovitz, Hannah's father, and her brother Welvele; textile
merchant Hirsch Porvah and his brother in law Mendel Forman and
his 16-year old son Moshe, Reuven Naividel - a businessman and
owner of an iron shop; Haim Rodensky and his father in-law
Levinberg, the owner of the steamships and Karabelnik, his
partner in the boats and barges business, etc. One Lithuanian
brought Mrs. Vilonsky her picture which he found in the pocket
of K. Levin's clothes. Torture and problems were a daily
occurrence, but the tragedy of the cemetery was never
forgotten.

Immediately after the "men's action", Hannah Magidovitz's
mother, Feige-Mirel, arrived in Yurburg from Kovno, as well as
Hannah's sister Judith, with her husband Hirschel Zalik and
their two children - the 2-year old Gershon -Yudele and the 1
1/2-year old Tzadikel. Those were the days of the humiliation
of men and women. On Sunday morning women and childrenwere
ordered to organize in rows in the streets and walk to the
Zarda, the area near the Neiman river. They had to sing and
dance on the way. However, this was merely a "rehearsal". The
"performance" only started at 12 o'clock, when the worshippers
at the Catholic house of worship went out into the street and
saw the humiliating parade of the Jews. Four men, Alter Stern,
Natal Mendelovitz, VelVel Portnoi and another person (?) "had
the honor" of carrying a few boards tied together (a
Trage-nasilka) with pictures on them of the Soviet leaders -
Stalin, Lenin, Molotov and others. In the middle, among the
pictures, was Stalin's statue. The entire parade arrived at the
Zarda, close to the Neiman river, and here the women were
ordered to form a circle around the pictures, the men behind
them.

They all had to sing Soviet and Jewish songs, and dance
around the fire in which the pictures of the Soviet leaders
were burnt. In the course of the "procession" the men were
ordered to throw stones at Stalin's statue and in the end - to
kneel and kiss the Lithuanian earth. . . Hannah and her sisters
Zelda and Zisa also "took part" in the humiliating performance.

One Tuesday, before Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year), all
the childless women were ordered to present themselves at
Labayosh' yard. The Lithuanian policeman Mikas Lavitzkis
addressed the women and advised them not to sell their
belongings, as the husbands would soon return and receive wages
for their work. They believed him. The next day they were again
ordered to present themselves at 6 o'clock in the evening, this
time they numbered 200. Again they were advised not to sell
anything and to hope "Az man wet noch darfen leben", i.e. "all
the belongings will be needed in the future". And again there
was an "invitation" to meet on Thursday.

This time there were already 300 women, among them sick
women too, who had been taken from their beds by the murderers.
Armed Lithuanian guards took up position at Labayosh's yard. A
curfew was imposed on those remaining at home, including the
men. The men were told that work would start at 8 o'clock
Friday morning. When the men came to work at Labayosh' yard,
the women were no longer there, and only a few remnants of
clothes were left behind. Others also found hidden jewelry and
money. One young girl, Yashka Koshilovitz, found her mother's
handkerchief in the toilet. Everyone understood the 300 women
had been murdered. Lithuanians said the women had been taken to
the Kalnianai village during the night, 5 km from Yurburg, in
the direction of Somlaninko, and there they had all been shot.
Policeman-murderer Botvinskis told the women who came to work
that the women had been given clothes and they had been taken
to farm work in villages . . . the murderers continued to
spread the rumor that all the women were well and that they
were working on farms. It was also said that 70-year old Mrs.
Polovin wrote a letter that she was working and all was well
with her, but no one saw the letter.

Immediately after the "action" of the women, the policemen
passed among all the houses of the town and collected the sick
and weak. One Jew, Hirschel Kovelkovsky had to bring his
65-year old neighbor, Moshe Kaplan, to the labor camp and the
man died on the way. When the women arrived at the labor camp
the next day, they no longer found the sick and weak.
Lithuanians said they had been sent to Raisen on carriages and
had been killed on the way. There were no accurate details in
those days.

On September 6, 1941 the hooligan-policemen again burst into
the Jewish homes and took away all the children and women who
no longer had husbands and led them to "Talmud Torah". Here
they were told that a sort of Jewish ghetto would be set up,
where mothers and children would be taken care of. Only very
few women obeyed and went to the gathering point. Many women
fled and hid. On September 8, 1941, the hooligan-policemen
searched the homes and gathered all the women who had no
husbands to support them. On this day many women who did have
providers were also added. Mrs. Polak, for example, who had
three daughters working at the labor camp. One of the
daughters, Miriam, quickly ran to the leader of the hooligans,
Sukatis, and asked him to release her mother. Sukatis demanded
25,000 Rubels as a redemption fee. Miriam and her sisters
claimed they only had 15,000 Rubels. Sukatis refused to release
their mother who was imprisoned at "Talmud Torah". Miriam then
turned to the German Kommandant of the town, and he replied
that her efforts were useless. They are all going to work.
Having no choice, the three girls went back to labor camp,
crying.

On Monday afternoon Hannah was at home with her sister
Judith and her two children. Suddenly policeman Kilikovitshus
burst into their home with his friend Motzkos and urgently
demanded to see their mother. Hannah replied that mother was
not at home and that she was ready to come instead. They agreed
and asked her to put on a coat. Hannah refused to put on the
coat and said "you'll be able to shoot me without a coat too"..
. . the hooligans hit Judith on the nose, and she started to
cry. At that time her husband Hirschel-Zelig was still working
at the labor camp and therefore he was not taken to "Talmud
Torah". This time Hannah was spared too.

The next day, September 8, Friedman called Hannah to the
labor camp. Friedman promised her no harm would come to her. On
the same day the chief of the region (Raisen) arrived with the
awful Shokiaitis, and they ordered all the women without
husbands to go to work. . . they all burst out in tears. Hannah
too bade farewell to her sister Zelda, whose husband was still
working at the labor camp. It is believed the order was a
reaction to the Polak sisters' denunciation of Shokiaitis and
his demands for money. The women were led to "Talmud Torah" and
from here they were all taken in the direction of Somlaninko.
Farmers with tools joined the hooligans accompanying the women,
volunteering to help the policemen. Hannah knew a few farmers
from Yurburg and the little town of Skirstamon, from where the
Jewish women were also taken.

One of the hooligans from Skirstamon, who knew Hannah,
advised her to escape, as the women were led to hard labor . .
. Hannah decided not to separate from the women at this stage.
After a tiring march of 7 km. on the road, the women were
directed towards the town of Tavrig. After another 1/2 km. they
arrived at the forest, where they saw large pits that had been
dug. It is hard to describe what took place at the forest. The
murderers ordered the women to climb on the heaps of earth
forthwith. The women panicked. They embraced their children,
cried, lamented and swore. The murderers, on their part,
started to beat the women with their tools and ordered them to
throw the children into the pits. Under the pressure, some
women threw their children into the pits and jumped in after
them. One woman, Mrs. Perl Badar-Stern, from Yurburg, refused
to throw her child into the pit. She went crazy and started to
smash the child's head against the tree next to her. All the
women screamed and fought the murderers. Then the murderers
used their weapons and the battle between the poor women and
the inhuman, armed hooligans went on till the bitter end. . . .

During the tumult, a Lithuanian from among the group of
murderers, who knew Hannah, went up to her and said: "Run away,
you'll catch up with death later". Hannah, who had already
considered escaping on the way, immediately decided to run away
from the pits of death. It was dark outside already, and it
rained now and then. Hannah jumped and disappeared among the
trees. They shot at her, but missed their target. . . . Hannah
ran away from the place of tragedy and for a long time she
heard shots and women's shouts and children's cries. When she
grew tired, Hannah sat down on a sawn-off tree trunk to rest.
When it grew quiet, and hundreds of women and children had been
swallowed up by death - Hannah heard the voicesof the
hooligans, quarreling about the loot: watches, rings, jewelry
etc. Finally they got drunk and went away. Hannah is convinced
that on the part of the Germans, only the Kommandant of the
town and one of his assistants, a Wachtmeister, took part in
this terrible "action". She does not know who gave the order to
fire.

Hannah remained in the forest till early morning, and when
she started to walk, she lost her way. When she saw a farm, she
went in to ask for a drink of water, but the farmer chased her
away. Here the hooligans found and caught her. They decided to
kill her, but luckily her Lithuanian acquaintance was among
them. He took it upon himself to carry out the murder. The
others went away and her Lithuanian acquaintance demanded
compensation for saving her life.

He led her to Yurburg as a "prisoner" and took her to her
home. In the afternoon the Lithuanian came to fetch his
compensation, and Hannah gave him her late father's gold watch.

Hannah returned home, her feet wounded. She needed rest and
recovery, but she was unable to find peace. She could not put
the terrible sights she had witnessed out of her mind. She told
the truth of what had happened to the group of women in the
forest to everyone. Not everybody believed her, thinking such
barbaric behavior, killing women and children in cold blood,
could not be possible. . .

On Thursday September 11,1941 the Lithuanian policemen and
their hooligan- helpers again demanded that all the Jews, women
and men, present themselves at the labor camp at Labayosh'
yard.

On Friday, September 12, 1941, the Lithuanian policemen and
their hooligan-helpers searched all the homes and took away all
those who were still alive, including the children. The Jews
had become indifferent and took the "mobilization" into their
stride. The hooligans came to Hannah's home too, and found her
mother, Feige-Michal and her sisters. The policeman Walachkos
was among the hooligans, he knew Hannah from the previous
"action" near the pits in the forest. He wanted to separate
Hannah from the others. She refused to go with the policeman,
but her family told her to go and, should she remain alive,
take revenge on the hooligans. "You must go", her mother told
her, even if it means destruction . . . thus her mother and
sisters said good-bye to Hannah, with tears in their eyes,
following in the path of many others . . . The policeman took
Hannah to Labayosh' house and locked her up in a tiny room, on
the upper floor of the house. The room contained the clothes of
the women who had been taken to the death pits.

Through a small peephole Hannah saw how cruelly the
hooligans treated the Jews - men, women and children - the
remnants of the Jewish community in Yurburg. The hooligans
demanded the Jews hand over money and valuables, such as gold,
silver, jewelry etc. The hooligans tortured the poor miserable
people, the last Jews in Yurburg. The mob stood outside, close
to the place of detention, waiting for the loot .

On Friday September 12, 1941 at 4 o'clock in the afternoon,
things came to an end. All the miserable Jews were led on their
last journey to the forest, closely guarded by the hooligans.
The sobbing children were put on a carriage. Preceded by the
carriage, men and women marched in the direction of Somlaninko
. . . Hannah saw the dreadful scene from the peephole in the
little room where she was imprisoned. She was heartbroken, and
on the spot she decided - "To escape! To safe her life!" That
same night she forced open the door leading to the roof and
climbed down to her freedom. The hooligans were drunk,
rejoicing in their victory, and did not pay attention to her.

Hannah roamed through the villages for a number of weeks.
Alone, dressed up in farmers' clothes, she decided to go to the
Kovno Ghetto. And indeed, on the night of October 27,1941 she
reached her goal. In the ghetto she met her sister Chaya
Abrahamson, her husband was no longer with her.

The next day - October 28, 1941 - the major "action" took
place at the Kovno Ghetto. Hannah was saved and shared the fate
of the other Jews of the ghetto. She worked in labor camps and
at the time of the evacuation she was sent to Germany, spending
time at the Shtutthof and other labor camps. When she was at a
camp near Dantzig, Hannah contracted typhus. Many women fell
sick here and died. Hannah was lucky, and on March 10, 1945 the
Red Army arrived at the camp and took the sick women to the
hospital. Hannah recovered and remained in Germany until she
went to Israel together with all the other refugees.

*

Hannah goes to Israel. She leaves the Diaspora. Yurburg is
no longer. Hannah left behind many graves in Yurburg of her
family, and bitter memories of the last days of the
unforgettable Yurburg community.

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